Susijengi received a wonderful reception when the Basketball Association organized a fan event that has already become a tradition at the prestigious tournament. An estimated 1,000 Finnish fans have arrived in Okinawa.
OKINAWA.
– The best! It’s cool to be a basketball player in Finland, Sasu Salin thanked at the same time, while a huge number of Finns on the other side of the globe were waiting for his friends.
Finland is playing in the World Basketball Championship on the Japanese paradise island of Okinawa. In the beginning, estimates said that around 500-600 Finns had traveled to the venue, but the turnout of the fan event, which has already become a tradition, indicated even higher numbers.
About 1,000 Finns have arrived at the event organized next to Susijeng’s hotel on Monday evening.
The queues at Nimmari wind very long at best. For the whole hour and a half, a huge number of numbers are distributed. Even after 45 minutes, the queue is still 50 meters long.
The event even attracts curious local Japanese basketball fans. Nimmareita goes into Susijeng’s jerseys and fan shirts and other similar fan products.
Lauri Markkanen and the partners get to write their names in places where they have certainly never put their wooden markers before. The locals want all the Susijeng players’ nickers on, among other things, a black umbrella.
Surely for many Finnish players, a rare moment is also seen when a local boy wants the autographs of the Finnish players of the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jersey.
Susigengi has organized a fan event five times in total, but this time one incredible magic is broken. On the previous four occasions, Finland has won the match in the prestige games on the day when the fan meeting has been organized.
EC bronze medalist Germany had punished Finland earlier in the day with 101-75 points. Susijeng’s performances have left room for improvement, but it was not visible at all in the atmosphere of the fan meeting. Hurmos is not the same as, for example, a year ago in Prague at the European Championships, but still the atmosphere was really warm.
The fans welcomed Susijeng handsomely with Suomi shouts and wolf-like howls, in accordance with the team’s nickname.
Finnish team first-timers Alex Murphy and Jacob Grandison have experienced something similar in their college basketball years, but they still admire Finnish fans.
– It’s really great that there are so many Susijengi fans here. “I’ve seen them in the stands, but it’s great to see them now up close and personal,” Grandison says.
– I’ve known for a long time how great fans we have. However, it is incredible to see how our fans have traveled to the other side of the world in this way, thanks Murphy.
Captain Salin is on the same lines as the duo.
– We should be grateful that we have such great fans. There is nothing better than this, says Salin.
The one and a half hour autograph session ends with a group photo with the team and fans. Susijeng’s players certainly smiled more during the meeting than in the entire tournament before. Finland’s tournament continues after three defeats in the lower continuation series. On Thursday and Saturday, Finland will play in its matches for places 17–32 of the World Cup, but above all for the Olympic qualification places.
One would imagine that despite the breaking of the incredible magic, a feel-good fan event might have come at just the right time.
– Absolutely. A little gets your thoughts elsewhere and maybe that helps in this situation, Salin smiles.